Out of plumb foundation wall
Out of plumb foundation wall
(OP)
I have a residential property. New construction. 10ft basement walls, 10" thick, reinforced. It appears they placed the walls as much as 4 to 5 inches over the height of the wall out of plumb. All of the out of plumb is the walls tipping out at the top. What is the line where we say we have a structural instability based purely on out of plumbness? I have seen the Kern value used 1/6 of the width of the wall. I know if the centroid is outside of the wall it is really bad. I'm guessing the numbers will check since the wall is reasonably reinforced to meet code required loads. My real question is what do you tell a potential buyer about the situation. The numbers work so you have no right to complain? It is just more likely to crack and have issues. Does anyone have a drop dead out of plumbness and reference I can use to require them to do something? Any thoughts on other ways to reinforce or help besides the standard steel tube behind the wall reinforcement? Are the tubes worth installing knowing the wall is just as likely to crack and have water issues? Is it just a waste of time. Being it is new construction I really don't like the situation for my client the potential buyer, but don't know if much will legitimately help with any reinforcement.





RE: Out of plumb foundation wall
RE: Out of plumb foundation wall
edit: found the code reference in the CSA code
RE: Out of plumb foundation wall
www.PeirceEngineering.com
RE: Out of plumb foundation wall
My issue is what is your argument to the building/seller to make them do something to re-mediate if it actually works numerically. The builder put it in, so they appear to have minimal standards, so what makes them correct it and then is remediation worth the effort, or do you just go forward with the risk.
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RE: Out of plumb foundation wall
"If the numbers work"? It should be up to the builder to get an engineering analysis for the leaning wall with the outside soil removed. The wall was not built per plan or design. Don't let him off the hook. oldestguy made an important comment about a reduction in the value of the home. This may not be a big deal now, but will be when the house is sold in the future.
www.PeirceEngineering.com
RE: Out of plumb foundation wall
ACI 117 has concrete tolerances. NAHB's Residential Construction Performance Guidelines is another reference. But, if there isn't a contract referencing either of these standards, I don't know what the options are. I have never done any residential work. All of my projects have had specifications that reference ACI 117. Have you check to see if the residential code has any construction tolerances? 5" out of plumb is a lot.
RE: Out of plumb foundation wall
Point aside the builder is selling the house that has been completed and sitting for a year. My client is the buyer and I continue to maintain that it should be remediated in some way. The builder has an engineer willing to sign off on it as is.
I have questions about pieces of the logic, but at the end of the day if he wants to be bold it is his stamp and I will sleep many nights better if one day nothing happens which mean I'm just a more conservative engineer.
I agree with oldestguy and the value being the issue.
Is it time to let dead fish lie and tell the client you have an official engineers sign off, you have someone to sue if it fails, cracks leaks? I maintain I want it reinforced and call me over conservative?
Last question. I'm having a hell of a time here. I'm thinking the moment of an out of plumb wall with the top tilted outward would add to the moment of the exterior soil pressure? Am I thinking wrong? The other engineer things the opposite.
RE: Out of plumb foundation wall
As for the what to tell the buyer, in my opinion this has nothing to do with you. How much does the value of the house change? Ask a real estate agent, not an engineer. You're only concern is the safety of the occupants (and your liability should something go wrong), and if you or another engineer say the wall is safe then your job is done.